Sting's strange new symphonic CD

In a recent Los Angeles Times interview, Sting admitted to being sickened during parts of the 2007-2008 Police reunion tour, feeling like he was “going back to a dysfunctional marriage.”

All that pain must have been softened a bit by the fact that the tour netted a cool $115 million, but Sting had little use for what he dubbed “an exercise in nostalgia.”

So what then pray tell is he doing with a brand new tour and a new album filled with symphonic arrangements of Police standards such as “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic,” “Next to You,” and the 325th version of “Roxanne?”

Alright, that’s perhaps a slight exaggeration on the 325th bit, but the guy has recorded “Roxanne” a lot, at least as often as Paul McCartney has recorded “The Long and Winding Road.” Great songs, but enough already.

Currently touring with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, Sting is playing classically-styled arrangement of some of his solo songs and Police material culled from “Symphonicities,” which is certainly a listenable album, just not exactly inventive or inspiring in the least.

The arrangements on the album are often colorful. Sting’s solo gem “Englishman in New York,” with its percussive flavors and the work of the New York Chamber Consort is especially effective in this style, as is a moody, horn-graced arrangement of “We Work the Black Seam,” as conducted by Rob Mathes, who co-produced the album with Sting.

Sting’s singing is also still right on the mark, as can be heard in tracks ranging from “When We Dance,” to the growling, groove-filled “She’s Too Good for Me.”

But some of the re-arrangements of the classics are beyond perplexing, and whether it’s just another egocentric exploration or just something for Sting to pass away the time, it’s difficult to see why he felt so compelled to turn a classic like “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic,” into something that sounds like it was lifted from a bad 1940’s musical. And as for that famous Police saga about the lady of the night who need not put on the red light, one would be advised to stick with the original.

Check out this recent CNN interview with Sting:

Tracks to download: “Englishman in New York” “We Work the Black Seam.”Rating Scale: One Star (poor) to Five Stars (a classic).